A 24-year-old Donegal woman has been given a three year suspended sentence for dangerous driving causing the deaths of her two best friends.
The young women were passengers in Louise Cantwell's car when she crashed in Co Donegal.
However, Judge David Nolan said that while there were suspicions that this was a girl-racing incident there was no evidence to support that.
The crash happened on 19 March 2005 at Redcastle, Co Donegal.
Cantwell, a beautician from Carndonagh was driving her friends Kelly Doherty and Alice Mullen home after a night out.
Both girls were in their early 20s and shared a house in Dublin. However, they were home in Carndonagh for the weekend.
Just after 3.30am on Saturday 19 March, Cantwell rounded a bend in Redcastle and crossed the continuous white line hitting an on-coming car.
Alice Mullan died at the scene, while Kelly Doherty died soon afterwards in hospital.
Cantwell was found guilty of dangerous driving causing their deaths in a court case last May and was sentenced today at Letterkenny Circuit Court.
Statements read on behalf of the Mullen and Doherty families described how their worlds had fallen apart since the crash.
They spoke of their constant loneliness and pain, and their bitterness at the failure of Louise Cantwell to express remorse.
However, defence counsel for Cantwell said she had called to both houses to express her condolence and remorse but the reception had not been good.
Judge David Nolan said if there had been aggravating factors his sentencing would be very different.
He concluded that the cause on the night was inattention and he sentenced Cantwell to three years but suspended the entire term.
The three years reflected the seriousness of the case and the suspension reflected the inattention, the judge said.
The families of the young women who died in the crash did not comment afterwards.
